this shelter was an option not chosen. it wasn't even full last night despite temperatures of 30s in some areas. the staff is planning to increase the number of beds available from 50 to 100. other shelters also plan to add more beds, but it still may not be enough. >> we only have 1,000 beds on any given night in this community. we're still going to have people outside in this dangerous weather. >> reporter: we are the fourth largest chronically homeless people in the country. it's critical to get to as many people as possible and give them the gear they need to survive this cold snap. instead of asking clients to leave at 6:00 in the morning, tomorrow they're going to ask them to leave at 8:00 when it's a little bit warmer. nbc bay area news.

thank you. here's a live look at the bay bridge toll blplaza. the roads still dry out there, but it's about to change. what's going on? >> we are getting a few showers now starting to touch the ground. we're going to have more on that coming up in just a moment. the coldest temperature was in novado at 17 degrees. 17 degrees is just downright cold. the good news on this cold front is it's not as cold at this hour as it was this time yesterday. temperatures in the low 50s back here in the east bay. it will be chilly for tonight,but no widespread 20s like we've had the past three nights. we already have some low snow developing in the north bay

mountains right now around the hills of sait. helena. we'll track more. a winter weather advisory for the bay area. and a possibility of some snow flurries down to the valley floor tomorrow morning. >> that's hard to imagine. the bay area is expected to get that dusting of snow, but the sierra is expected to get a whole lot more. this is what it looked like just about 45 minutes ago. it is snowing. the north shore is expected to get one to two feet of snow by tomorrow morning. pack your patience. traffic is already backed up. we'll check back in with jeff in about 15 minutes.

cold impacting. freezing temperatures are likely to blame for a water main breaking. public work crews spent much of the night to prepare this leak. it was chilly out there. once it was done, a mixture of sand and salt over the slick pavement to make sure it didn't ice over. for some -- we're live. explain for us. >> reporter: right now, not as chilly as it was last night, but still quite cold. i can tell you that it was sprinkling earlier. the rain has picked up quite a bit here. some said they're miserable out here, but some the cold is good

business. >> storms continue to come. customers will keep coming. >> reporter: 25 years after opening his shop, the rules are still the same. the cold weather gets people thinking about skiing and snow boarding. while freezing temps can heat up his business, for others it means driving up payments. >> our bill has been so high. it's like we're trying to catch up still. >> my electricity bill goes from an average of 300 to $1200 if i turn the heat on. >> reporter: when she starts to complain, she thinks back to her childhood on the east coast. >> we just constantly had ice storms. you'd watch out your door and slide 20 feet down the sidewalk. >> reporter: sliding down the slope is what he is thinking about. he's bursting at the seams to

use his own. >> guys, hold down the fort 37 i've got a meeting up in tahoe. >> reporter: he is so hopeful for good business he says he's doubling his staff tomorrow. there is one group that not many people think about when it comes to the cold and that story is coming up tonight at 6:00. nbc bay area news. we want to know what the weather is like where you are. we want you to send us a picture of what you see or what you're experiencing. go to nbcbayarea.com. you'll find a tab that says send pics. we have developing news about a gang rape investigation involving teenagers in the east bay. three teenage boys assaulted three teenager girls last

weekend. the attack happened after the boys gave the girls alcohol and the girls passed out. jody hernandez joins us from the regional park. there was a critical development in this case just in the past hour? >> reporter: we just learned from police within the last hour the district attorney's office has decided not to file charges today. they need more time for lab results before they decide whether or not to file charges. that means the three teenage boys that took part in the alleged attack will be set free, at least for now. this is where the alleged assault took place, east bay regional park. police say two teenage girls and three teenage boys went to the park in richmond last friday night to hang out. >> there was some alcohol involved that the men brought with them and some drinking took place.

>> reporter: the girls ages 14 and 17 and passed out, waking up at the park the next morning to realize they'd been sexually assaulted. >> this is a dramatic attack on these two women. it occurred and they're there with acquaintances and not expecting or wanting anything like this to happen and it did. >> reporter: police arrested the boys at their schools on wednesday. the boys face gang rape and conspiracy charges. >> we have to start making it clear to men, to men, you just can't come have your way with a woman or a girl. >> reporter: the reverend with the richmond improvement association says it is hard to hear of yet another sexual assault involving teenagers, especially on the heels of the 2009 gang rape of a richmond high school girl. >> for me to hear of another case in the city of richmond,

where there was the incident a while back in richmond high school, it just saddens me, but i'm not surprised. >> reporter: we've just learn within the last hour the three teenage suspects will likely be set free sometime this evening pending lab results. that is according to the east bay regional parks police. we've been trying to contact the district attorney's office all day, but they have not returned our phone calls. nbc bay area news. new details now in the search for a missing pilot from san jose and they're not good. bad weather in idaho again grounded the search. on sunday, dale smith was flying four other family members from oregon to montana when he reported engine trouble over

central idaho. friends and family are still hoping for good news. >> we understand what we're up against. we understand what the odds are. >> he's a macgyver type engineer. >> snow is in the forecast with nighttime temperatures now expected to dip well below zero. police are crediting a hotel security guard for helping catch a suspected hit-and-run driver. it happened in downtown san jose. a car slammed into him. a hotel security guard ran after the suspect and tackled him. the hotel's manager says he's not surprised. >> he's always looking out for the hotel and the team members and our guests. he's a model person as a human being and as an employee. >> the officer and the suspect

were taken to the hospital and are expected to be okay. at this point, they don't know if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this crash. new information into the news room about the search for a man suspected of throwing two cats into the bay. more construction projects because of a rise in tech hiring. good news for job seekers, coming up. remembering a man who changed the world. you're looking live at the growing memorial outside of nelson mandela's home in johannesburg. i love watching tv outside.

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a day after the death of nelson mandela crowds continue to gather outside his home in johannesbu johannesburg. here's a live look at the growing memorial. there was an outpouring of

affection here for mandela as well. hello, steve. >> reporter: good evening. there's grieving and remembrance here in washington that echoes south african emotions. the memory of nelson mandela is burning brightly in johannesburg. south africans are beginning ten days of good-byes. americans there feel the loss. >> being from ohio and here at this time is just overwhelming. >> reporter: at the south african embassy in washington, hundreds are coming to pay their respects. >> i'm not sure obama would be president without mandela. >> everybody has united today. >> reporter: uniting his nation after apartheid was mandela's mission. when he brought his white jailers to his inauguration,

colin powell was there. >> he said let's reach out and show love and reconciliation. he's our washington and our lincoln and our martin luther king all rolled into one. >> reporter: hillary clinton was at the inauguration. >> a lawyer and a freedom fighter. a prisoner and a leader. a man of anger and of forgiveness. >> reporter: there was no contradiction in what mandela stood for. >> the idea of every single human being ought to be free of oppression and justice can prevail. >> reporter: the white house announced president obama will go to south africa joining world leaders and south africans for the funeral of nelson mandela. there's a major memorial at the national cathedral here at washington on wednesday for this foreign leader held in high

esteem by so many americans. >> thank you. late this afternoon the san francisco mayor invited the entire bay area to pay its respects to mandela as well. the mayor has been asked to chair that event. flags on all city grounds will be flown at half staff until sunset on december 18th. there was skirmishes with police. mandela visited the oakland coliseum back in 199 -- >> when he was released and came

to oakland for the coliseum, it was so thrilling that we had a rule not only in his release, but in the change to freedom and democracy in south africa. >> during his visit, he called on those to vote, to divest from south africa apartheid. they held a moment of silence before this morning's opening bell. mandela visited the stock exchange back in 2002. go to nbc bay area news and click best mandela tributes. you probably made some money today if you're involved. a huge boost in wall street thanks to a big boost in job creation. the tech industry had a lot to do with it.

>> reporter: absolutely. they are building a new apartment complex across the street here in downtown san jose because so many people are coming here to work. san jose like the rest of the nation saw an increase in jobs created along with a drop in the jobless rate thanks largely to tech companies adding staff. this comes at a great time for the construction industry. now emerging from the slump with new projects and new hiring. >> absolutely. a little bit concerned about what we're going to do come late spring. >> because -- >> because we have so much volume at this point and just want to make sure that we have the right people and right places to make sure those jobs get done correctly. >> reporter: the tech industry has been hiring so much. this, that you're looking at now, the second manufacturing

facility built by zazzle for 800 people to run it. nbc bay area news. thank you, scott. recapping our top story. the record-breaking cold that's turned deadly in the south bay. within the last hour, santa clara county officials announced that hyperthermia has killed four homeless people overnight. we'll continue to track that story. in the meantime, our chief meteorologist continues to track those freezing temperatures. hello. >> we're getting some reports right now of some snow flurries

in los gatos. what we have is a newly issued weather advisory for the south bay and east bay. could see 1 to 3 inches of snow up until about 10:00 on saturday. let's go ahead and take you into one of these spots. the 17 corridor all the way down to glenwood, a few snow flurry reports already. we'll take you to this other corridor that'll be a sore spot. anyone headed near mount diablo. you could encounter some very slick spots on those roadways. now that we've gone over some of the snow, you can see we're dealing with some areas of some moderate rainfall.

back here towards fremont, some pockets of heavier rainfall. this is all pushing off towards the south. we'll see intermittent rain across portions of san jose and some areas of rainfall back towards lafayette and into concord. let's take you to that current story right now. showers here across the north bay. temperatures cold in the upper 30s. 40 in the east bay. that cloud cover increasing. as we head throughout 7:00 tomorrow, we might have a few snow flurries as we head into that forecast for portions of the east bay. we're starting to see that rainfall spread to the south, but as we advance this story into tomorrow morning 6:00,

7:00, 8:00 that's a rain-snow mix. we could see snow flurries down to the valley floor at 6:00, also 7:00 tomorrow morning. that ushers as we head throughout 8:00 and 9:00 on saturday. the overall details on this. the best chance for any kind of snow flurries from 3:00 to 8:00 on saturday. we'll see high totals down in the south bay. the good news with all this weather moving in, the air won't be as cold as it has been for the last couple of nights. we're going to be looking at 30s in that forecast. temperatures in the upper 40s. a lot of sunshine, but it is going to be jacket weather here for most of the bay area and also plenty of snow expected across the sierra.

how a man's generous donation is adding life-saving equipment to a police department. the story about the man who is accused of throwing cats into the bay.

just in, police have arrested eric patterson who is accused of throwing two cats into the bay. they caught him flinging his bag on market street. patterson was caught on camera last week near pier 4 in san francisco where he grabbed a homeless woman's belongings into the water. one of the items, a cat carrier with two cats inside. they drowned.

gun laws take effect today. some of the changes are if they have lost firearms, they have to call the police within 48 hours. they have to lock up their guns when not in use. the nra has vowed to fight that new law in court. a local genetic testing company that was ordered to stop selling its testing kits says it will comply with the food and drug administration's demands. they claim to test for disease risk. they get a small tube in the mail and return it to the company for dna analysis. the fda ordered the company to stop selling those kids because it couldn't prove the technology was backed by science. they'll only offer information on your ancestry.

the owner of john's grill donated $20,000 to buy the devices. he said, he hopes it will save lives. the police chief thanked him at his restaurant this morning. he says the devices are an important edition to the patrol cars because police officers are the first on the scene in an emergency. and in cardiac arrest, every second counts. delays at san jose international airport. that story is next.

if you think it's crazy around here, ice and snow are making travel impossible for parts of the south and midwest. several deaths have been reported most of those from crashes on the roads. more than 250,000 people are without power now. the marathon in dallas that was scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled. at least ten dallas flights two and from san jose international airport were cancelled. the same storm is now headed to the northeast. it does make it look not quite so cold around here. >> a few snow flurries already in los gatos. that storm was part of the same cold air we've been dealing with

this past week. the rain is continuing to move. >> nightly news is next. we'll be back at 6:00. are celebrating nelson mandela in the streets of south africa and across the globe. special coverage tonight including our conversation with former president clinton. also this evening, the dangerous storm heading across a huge part of our country. tens of millions of americans in its path and another right behind it. great expectations. after a surge in jobs, unemployment drops to its lowest level in five years. a work in progress, but can it be sustained? and once in a lifetime. mandela's visit to this country. those who were there reflect on the power of that moment in time. "nightly news" begins now.